Archive for March, 2011
I know there have been a lot of posts this week and hopefully my subscribers aren’t getting sick of the email notifications, but I’ve got a couple of really important things to post so bear with me. I can take next week off if you’re sick of me. There has been a lot of discussion [...]
I was reading an article about blogging in Inc. the other day, and one paragraph really resonated with me: “The thing most people don’t understand is that the difference between a blog post and a magazine article is the difference between conversation and presentation,” notes Strauss. “If I were giving a presentation on a stage [...]
Thank goodness it’s Wordless Wednesday because I have no words for these photos. Well, no words other than – deadbolts aren’t allowed on double-egress doors, and UL listed hardware can’t be modified. Believe it or not, these exit devices actually work (as long as the deadbolt isn’t engaged!). Do you know someone who would like [...]
When I lived in a condominium complex in the mid-90′s, I don’t think I gave much thought to fire safety. I remember hearing the fire alarm in the middle of the night and going out to my balcony to see if I could smell smoke. If not, it must be a false alarm. That seems [...]
Last week I posted photos of some very old Von Duprin exit devices which were originally installed on the entrance doors to the Shatford Centre in Penticton, British Columbia. I later communicated with the millworker, Plexus Woodworks, who built the new doors, and several people from the Shatford Centre, as well as other blog readers [...]
The 2010 Fire Code of New York State requires fire doors to be maintained in accordance with NFPA 80, and references the 2007 edition of that standard (Chapter 45 – Referenced Standards). The 2007 edition of NFPA 80 requires fire door assemblies to be inspected annually as part of the maintenance requirements, so by referencing [...]
The 2010 California Fire Code requires fire doors to be maintained in accordance with NFPA 80 and smoke doors to be maintained in accordance with NFPA 105. The code references the 2007 editions of NFPA 80 and NFPA 105 (Chapter 47 – Referenced Standards). The 2007 editions of these standards require the door assemblies to [...]
In response to my request for a list of FAQs, my colleague and pal Kurt Roeper sent this suggestion. It’s definitely a frequently asked question, but the tricky part is coming up with the answer. I’m a big fan of the old adage, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That’s [...]
This question has come up a few times lately… Does an automatic operator on a fire-rated door require a fire alarm connection? The answer is YES – according to NFPA 80, if an automatic operator is installed on a fire door, the operator must automatically disconnect at the time of a fire. This ensures that [...]
I don’t ask for much, right? But I need a little help. I’ve been posting on this blog for over 2 years and there are more than 400 posts. I know it can sometimes be hard to find the specific post or topic you’re looking for. You can search by typing something into the search [...]
I received an article today about a fire at the Evelyn Gardens apartment complex in Albany, California, which resulted in $400,000 in damage and one fatality. In the article, Fire Chief Marc McGinn is quoted several times in regard to apartment entry doors. Here’s an excerpt: ” ‘Closing doors on fires can save lives,’ he [...]
Since we seem to be on an antique doors and hardware run, I thought you’d like to see these oldies but goodies. They were spotted at the Shatford Centre in Penticton, British Columbia. The building was recently renovated and the main entrance doors and hardware were replaced, and the process was chronicled in detail on [...]
I visited my favorite law school today, and the signs on this door caught my eye. They’re not taking any chances.
This pair is located at the end of a walkway between two mill buildings in the Corah Factory in Leicester, England. Check out the locks on both leaves (more photos here). Thank you to Sam Tait for allowing me to post this photo.
I know some of you will remember “Chip Falcon’s Road Trip” from a couple of years ago. For those of you who weren’t readers of this blog back then…I usually go on a road trip with my family every summer. In the summer of 2009, I had to take a Falcon 25 series panic device [...]
For my subscribers on the west coast…check out the rise of the Supermoon tonight! The rest of you can enjoy the beautiful full moon too, but moonrise in Boston was at 7:16. It was amazing! Yes, I do occasionally take photos of something besides doors.
Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd. sent me a plethora of photos recently. I think he sent his entire “Creative Closers of Israel” file. Steve Poe of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies found this door at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City: And from Dave Saltmarsh of Westfield State College, a couple of [...]
Still cleaning out the e-mailbox… This one just in from Ted Wightman of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies…creative “dogging” on a cylindrical lock: Justin Ritter of ASSA Abloy DSS sent in some photos of a really cool pivoting door at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee. I found a couple more shots on Flickr that show [...]
Holy smokes! I guess I haven’t posted reader photos for a while because I have SO MANY piled up in my e-mailbox. I have a really busy week and I’ll be traveling to Connecticut to do a fire door inspection, so I won’t have a lot of time for those wordy, informative posts you all [...]
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, with over 31,000 people taking their life annually. 1,500 suicides occur annually in hospitals (1); it is also the leading cause of death while incarcerated (2). Ligature strangulation (hanging) is the primary means used to end one’s life in these environments. When I [...]
This post was printed in the March 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware One of the gray areas the door and hardware industry has struggled with is the use of manual flush bolts on pairs of doors in a means of egress. The language in NFPA 101 – The Life Safety Code prohibiting manual flush [...]
I tend to notice hardware on TV and movies (just ask my family!), but this video is probably the best (worst) example I’ve seen of doors gone bad for the sake of TV production. It was sent in by Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd. in Israel. The commercial is in Hebrew but the panic [...]
I have TJ Gottwalt to thank for this Wordless Wednesday post. Thanks TJ!
I have to admit, I visit the local frozen yogurt joint so often that the owners ask me if I want “the usual.” Hey – it’s YOGURT…practically health food! I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to make it through their winter break – about 2 months. I survived, but the closer on their entrance [...]
Just when I was wondering what I should post about tonight, I received this photo from Brendan Daley of SURV. From an informational aspect, it’s a great sign…it tells the building occupants that it’s a fire door and how the door should be treated. Unfortunately, signs can’t be installed on fire doors using screws! Here [...]
This Wordless Wednesday post can’t be completely wordless (that’s nothing new). These photos were sent to me by my friend and colleague, Kurt Roeper, who is traveling in China at the moment and reports that idighardware/ihatehardware is banned in China. Here’s Kurt’s note that came along with the photos: “It can now be confirmed that [...]
